Information Center
Testing
An EEG (electroencephalogram) can determine changes in brain activity that may be useful in diagnosing brain disorders, especially epilepsy. An EEG may be helpful for diagnosing or treating the following disorders:
- Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
- Brain tumor
- Head injury
- Brain dysfunction that may have a variety of causes (encephalopathy)
- Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis)
- Stroke
- Sleep disorders
- Dementia
EMG (Electromyography) is a diagnostic procedure to assess the health of muscles and the nerve cells that control them (motor neurons). Your doctor may order an EMG if you have signs or symptoms that may indicate a nerve or muscle disorder. Such symptoms may include:
- Tingling
- Numbness
- Muscle weakness
- Muscle pain or cramping
- Certain types of limb pain
EMG results can reveal nerve dysfunction, muscle dysfunction or problems with nerve-to-muscle signal transmission. EMG results are often necessary to help diagnose or rule out a number of conditions such as:
- Muscle disorders, such as muscular dystrophy or polymyositis
- Diseases affecting the connection between the nerve and the muscle, such as myasthenia gravis
- Disorders of nerves outside the spinal cord (peripheral nerves), such as carpal tunnel syndrome or peripheral neuropathies
- Disorders that affect the motor neurons in the brain or spinal cord, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or polio
- Disorders that affect the nerve root, such as a herniated disk in the spine
Trigger point injection (TPI) may be an option for treating pain in some patients. TPI is a procedure used to treat painful areas of muscle that contain trigger points, or knots of muscle that form when muscles do not relax. Many times, such knots can be felt under the skin. The procedure can also help break up the knot and relieve spasms and the feeling of tightness. This will make you feel better and make it easier for you to move and exercise.
Occipital nerve block is a therapeutic procedure used to treat pain originating at the back of the head. It is performed through injection of steroids and a local anesthetic into the base of the skull, where the occipital nerves are located. The steroid injected reduces the inflammation and swelling of tissue around the occipital nerves. This may in turn reduce pain, and other symptoms caused by inflammation or irritation of the nerves and surrounding structures. GONB is used to treat the following:
- Headaches over the back of the head
- Tension headaches
- Cluster Headaches
- Nerve inflammation/Painful scalp
- Migraine headaches, may respond to occipital nerve blocks.
Take a Pain Risk Assessment Test
Not sure where to go from here? Take our pain risk assessment test, then contact our office to make an appointment. Click the link below and enter the access code to take the test.